How to apply for Free School Meals
How To Apply For Free School Meals
How Parent can apply for Online Free School Meals
The rules for free school meals has changed.
From September 2026, all children from households receiving Universal Credit are now entitled to free school meals, regardless of household earnings. Read further guidance on GOV.UK
There are now two types of free school meals:
Targeted free school meals
For families who get Universal Credit and earn £7,400 a year or less, and some other eligible families.
Children get:
- free school meals
- access to extra support, which may include holiday activities and food (HAF)
- support that can help their school receive additional funding through the Pupil Premium
Expanded free school meals
Your child may be able to get free school meals if your household receives Universal Credit and earns more than £7,400 a year.
Children who qualify will get:
- free school meals
They do not automatically qualify for extra support such as:
- holiday activities and food (HAF)
- Pupil Premium funding for their school
Your child may also qualify if you receive:
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- certain immigration or asylum support
Some families with no recourse to public funds may also qualify.
Check your eligibility and apply
Check whether your child may be eligible for free school meals online. You will usually receive an immediate response.
Apply
If you have checked above that your child is eligible, apply for free school meals through Wirral Council.
The Website for parents to apply is
https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/sims-wirral
Information needed to apply:
- Parent name and date of birth
- Contact details
- National Insurance Number or National Asylum Seekers Number
- Child’s full First Name and Legal Surname and date of birth
- School your child is attending/will attend
Results
Found – Confirmed eligibility to Free School Meals – Wirral Local Authority and the school will be notified. Make a note of your reference number.
Not Found – Not confirmed the eligibility to Free School Meals. Make a note of your reference number. (Apply once, if not successful, the system will automatically keep checking for any changes to benefits which may make it successful.)